Smithwick's
 Smithwick's logo |
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| Type | Irish red ale |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Great Northern Brewery Dundalk, Co Louth Dundalk, Ireland |
| Distributor | Diageo |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| Alcohol by volume | 3.8% (Ireland), 4.5% (North America)[1] |
| Colour | Ruby red |
| Variants | Kilkenny cream ale |
| Website | www.smithwicks.ie |
Smithwick's (
/ˈsmɪθɨks/ or /ˈsmɪtɨks/, not like the town of Smethwick /ˈsmɛðɨk/) is an Irish red ale style beer from Kilkenny in Ireland. Smithwick's is listed in the top five best tasting beers by the McHale beer rating club of Ireland. As of Autumn 2010, Smithwicks continues to be brewed in Dundalk and Kilkenny but tankers are sent to Dublin to be kegged for the on trade market. Cans and bottles are packaged by IBC in Belfast.
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[edit] History
Smithwick’s was originally brewed in a part of the medieval St. Francis Abbey Brewery in Kilkenny, known as 'Smithwicks Brewery' until c.2000. The brewery is situated on the site of a Franciscan abbey where monks had brewed ale since the 14th century, and has ruins of the original abbey on its grounds. It is Ireland’s oldest operating brewery, founded by John Smithwick and Richard Cole in 1710 on land owned by the Duke of Ormonde.[2] Smithwick was an orphan of the 1641 Rebellion who had settled in Kilkenny.[3] The Smithwick family owned the brewery for a further nine generations.[4]
The Smithwicks were not listed as brewers until Edmund Smithwick enlarged and then rebuilt the brewery from 1827, and by 1873 they had built a large export business. Selling ales, porters and stouts, they were the third largest Irish brewery but were affected by the growth of the "tied house" system in Britain. Smithwicks also bought the nearby Sullivan's brewery in St James's Street that ran from 1810 to 1914, using the buildings as a malt house until 1985. Following a strike in 1920, the brewery concentrated on 3 types of ale. In 1960-65 the main ale brand was renamed as "Time" ale.[5]
Smithwick's is the major ale producer in Ireland. It was purchased from Walter Smithwick in 1965 by Guinness and is now, along with Guinness, part of Diageo. Smithwick's, as most people know it today, was originally created as a special brew for the first Kilkenny Beer Festival. It later renamed Smithwicks No. 1 and today is known as Smithwick's. Smithwick’s for the domestic market and the higher strength export variety is brewed in Dundalk, but a small amount of the domestic variety continues to be brewed in Kilkenny.
[edit] Regional Pronunciation
Due to the differing accent and dialects of Ireland, it is generally pronounced /ˈsmɪθɨks/, /ˈsmɪtɨks/, /ˈsmɪdɨks/ or /ˈsmɛθɨks/ there. When ordering in the USA, /ˈsmɪθɨks/ or /ˈsmɪdɨks/ is preferred, while /ˈsmɪdɨks/ is the most prevalent pronunciation in Canada.
"In the Old Kilkenny Review, year unknown, Peter Smithwick, K.M., Solicitor, wrote that the tradition of Kilkenny is that Sullivan’s Brewery was founded in 1702... Daniel Sullivan, allegedly a Protestant, bought the property in trust for Pierse Bryan of Jenkinstown, who was Catholic but prohibited by the Penal Laws from buying land... Twenty years later a Protestant informer got a decree declaring himself the owner of the property...The property was on the West side of High Street, "standing backward in James’ Street." It is believed that this was the site of Sullivan’s Brewery, the forerunner of Smithwicks."[6]
[edit] Variations
- Smithwick's Draught has a ruby red tone with a stable, but slightly thin head. It is produced using hops and special roasted, malted barley. Its texture is smooth and refined, with a bitter and complex finish. Although of lesser fame than Guinness, Smithwicks is often regarded as the 'local favourite' amongst Irish pubgoers (particularly in South Leinster, the province in which Kilkenny City and County are located). Smithwick's is however, in a state of managed decline in Ireland, retaining around 4% market share for beer.[7] In 2004, Diageo PLC began distribution in the USA. Smithwick's had previously been marketed in Canada with great success.
- Kilkenny Cream Ale is similar to Smithwick's Draught; however, it has a cream head similar to Guinness, and it has a stronger taste (more bitter than Smithwicks).[citation needed] The 'Kilkenny' name was originally used during the '80s and '90s to market a stronger version of Smithwick's for the European and Canadian market due to difficulty in pronunciation of the word Smithwicks; but it now refers to a similar yet distinctly different beer.
- Smithwick’s ale has been awarded seven Gold Medals in the Monde Selection's international quality institute in the Beers, Waters and Soft Drinks category.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Kitsock, G. "Wearing Green, Drinking Red", Washington Post, March 14, 2007.
- ^ Diageo - Smithwicks
- ^ Smithwick's: Celebrating 300 years and making Ireland's local jewel cool
- ^ Smithwick's: Celebrating 300 years and making Ireland's local jewel cool
- ^ Halpin TB, "The Brewing industry in Kilkenny"; Old Kilkenny Review, Vol 4, pp.583-591. ISSN 0332-00774.
- ^ <While dining in the Restaurant Pierre Gilbaud, Lower Baggot St., Dublin, with then-US Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith, I asked her to attempt to obtain for me a piece titled "The Sullivans of Kilkenny." She was gracious enough to put her staff to work and forwarded the piece as partially quoted above.>
- ^ http://www.portal.euromonitor.com.ezproxy.lib.le.ac.uk/Portal/Statistics.aspx
- ^ Diageo - Prizes
